1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool box for carrying, organizing and storing tools. More specifically the present invention is designed to address tool organization needs of painters, with specific attachment points, holders and storage means for devices used in painting operations.
Currently there are few devices available for consumers and professional painters to neatly and compactly organize and store tools prior to commencing a project. Painters generally require a great number of tools and accessories to complete a given project properly, including different sized brushes, rollers and applicators. Organizing these devices in a single location can be difficult. These tools are often discarded or lost after their use, as the tools are scattered and improperly handled between jobs. This can be wasteful and time consuming, as new tools need to be purchased to replace the missing items.
Therefore a need arises for a compact and convenient storage device for housing and transporting painting tools and materials. The device must comprise the ability to accommodate a variety of painting tools and applicators, while storing them in a compact and neatly organized fashion. The device must further be easy to handle and transport, allowing a user to transport the tools between job sites with ease. The present invention provides a device that fulfills these needs by providing a modular, compact and utilitarian tool box that provides a plurality of securing means for common paint tools, including paint rollers, brushes, spatulas, sponges, stirring sticks and the like. The present invention provides retainment means within a container such that the tools and paint equipment are positioned in a vertical configuration, facilitating easy access to and easy removal of each item from the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several patents have been issued that describe inventions related to tool organizers and toolboxes. However, these devices suffer from several drawbacks, or fail to address the issues of organizing a plurality of different painter's tools as provided by the present invention. While general tool storage is a goal of the present invention, the device is particularly adapted to organize painter specific tools in a vertical fashion and reduce time required to locate items or realize a lost or misplaced tool. The issue of tool location and organization of paint tools is not addressed by the prior art devices.
Several patents have issued related to standard toolboxes designed to store small tools. Perkins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,158 is directed to a toolbox for small hand tools and associated items that opens up from the front as well as the top, and is provided with supporting elements for holding certain tools contained therein in an upright position. There is provided a built-in storage compartment and a front cover hingedly connected at its bottom edge to a front plate and which includes a strip magnet on its inside surface on which metal tools may be affixed and stored. The device further includes a shelf having a plurality of holes into which can be inserted tools and suspended therein in an upright position is mounted inside the tool box near the top and a removable tray having adjustable compartments seated on a shelf inside the tool box near the bottom. A pullout drawer having adjustable compartments is located underneath the tray.
Similarly, Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,151 is directed to a tool holder convertible between storage and display configurations as well as a method of manufacture therefor. In one embodiment, the tool holder includes a flexible wrapper including first and second parallel major and minor edges and a fold line located in between. The Perry tool holder is adapted to provide a flexible storage carrier for a plurality of paint tools, including a series of brushes. The flexible carrier can be folded onto itself for improved storage or transport of the attached items.
Further, Purnell, U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,641 is directed to an organizer for securely retaining hand tools and other miscellaneous items, particularly in environments where working space is limited and the tools must be kept organized and convenient. The organizer includes a container adapted for the insertion and support of various items such as hand tools. A support panel may be hinged for pivoting to an open position to provide access to the interior compartment for tool storage. Either the top wall or the front wall of the organizer are adapted to be opened and retracted for access to the interior and support plate of the organizer.
The Perkins, Perry and Purnell patents disclose devices for the general organization and transport of tools. While providing adequate means for general projects, these devices are not designed to address the particular needs and desires of a painter. The present invention addresses these needs, allowing a painter to efficiently and conveniently store, transport, organize and locate the tools and materials required for painting projects. The structure and scope of the aforementioned patents also fail to describe the present invention elements or key features.
Other patents are directed to carrying toolboxes that are designed for other applications and projects. Sirman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,303 is directed to a toolbox apparatus that is used to carry and store the tools and equipment commonly used by individuals who work with plaster or drywall. The toolbox apparatus of the Sirman invention includes a first wall that is parallel to a second wall, an opened top and an enclosed bottom. The first portion includes a plurality of parallel slots for receiving and maintaining blades' typically used for drywall installation. The second portion of the device includes a compartment that is used for storing other commonly used items by individuals who drywall. While the Sirman device provides a means of transportion and organization for tools, it does so in the context of tools that are used for drywall installation. Such tools fit an entirely different profile with regard to those used by painters, thus the Sirman device does not address the same issues or needs as those of the present invention.
Alternatively, Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,901 is directed to an organizer attachable to the rim of a bucket, comprising a rounded end conforming to the rim of the bucket. The device fits onto the bucket such that a handle of the bucket freely rotates to a position in a plane above the organizer from the rounded end side of the bucket when the organizer is attached to the bucket and a second end opposite the rounded end cantilevers over the other side of the bucket. The organizer comprises one or more compartments having at least one of a solid floor and one or more openings. The Phillips device is designed as a modification to a traditional bucket that allows the storage and organization of tools and other materials. However, the Phillips invention is not optimized to be suitable for painters and their unique variety of tools and materials. Rollers in particular would likely not be suitable for storage in the Phillips device. The present invention addresses this need, by providing a storage means customized for painters and their tools and materials.
The inventions addressed in the prior patents describe devices for the transportation and storage of general tools, or tools specific to drywall installation. There is a need in the art for a device that can easily store and transport painting tools that further allows the user to organize and determine at a glance if there are missing tools or materials. The present invention fulfills this need by providing a painter's tool box that is adapted to accommodate typical tools and applicators used in painting. Its structure substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing tool box devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.